Middle Schoolhttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms
Just another Honey Creek Community School Sites siteMon, 05 Mar 2018 04:26:47 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Middle School Math – March 2018http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/03/05/middle-school-math-march-2018/
Mon, 05 Mar 2018 04:26:47 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13598The change in curriculum to use Eureka Math has been going well. The program is inquiry based and has provided the students with lots of opportunities to explore, practice, challenge, prove, and discuss various mathematical concept. I have learned a lot myself.

In Course 1 we are finishing up our understanding of the four operations as they study division of whole numbers, division by a fraction and operations on multi-digit decimals. This expanded understanding serves to complete their study of the four operations with positive rational numbers. As we move forward, we will be working with negative rational numbers; focusing on understanding, locating, and ordering negatives numbers.

Course 2 is also completing a unit. We have been exploring operations with signed rational numbers, in other words, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative whole and rational numbers. Next, we will be using these skills to evaluate expressions and solving equations and inequalities.

At the end of February Course 3 completed a unit that students learn about dilation and similarity and apply that knowledge to a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem based on the Angle-Angle criterion for similar triangles. The unit begins with the definition of dilation, properties of dilations, and compositions of dilations. As March begins students extend what they already know about unit rates and proportional relationships to linear equations and their graphs. Students understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations in this unit.

And, in Algebra we have explored properties of exponents and polynomials, learning how to add, subtract, and multiply various polynomials to prepare us for our current unit on factoring polynomials: from factoring a GCF of an algebraic expression to factoring a trinomial into the product of two binomials. Learning how to factor quadratic trinomial prepares the students to be able to solve quadratic equations (our next unit). It’s all good fun!

]]>Social Studieshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/03/05/social-studies-5/
Mon, 05 Mar 2018 02:08:27 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13595We are currently in the heart of our unit on homelessness, having hosted Dan Kelly – head of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County – for a Q & A a few weeks back and having just taken a field trip to the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor. Students have moved beyond common stereotypes and have been researching reasons people become homeless, support and services across the country and in Washtenaw County, and a variety of theories about best ways to address the issue. They assumed roles – city councilmen/-women, nice neighbors, business owners, police officers, etc. – and debated a number of different topics surrounding the issue and are currently writing persuasive essays on some of those same issues. We are also in the early stages of preparing a simulation for parents, which will be held on Tuesday, March 20th at 5:00 PM in the gym. This is one of my favorite events and I can’t wait to see what twists this year’s students put on it.
]]>Middle School Language Artshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/03/05/middle-school-language-arts-3/
Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:47:07 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13592In February, we began our study of Science Fiction, reading Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion. We have talked about issues of science, ethics, the future, and what sets the genre of sci-fi apart from realistic fiction and fantasy. Additionally, students have been writing around or in the genre of science fiction, focusing their monthly writing assignments on topics or issues within the book, or exploring the genre of science fiction.

In March, we are shifting to nonfiction, studying biography and starting on our multigenre projects, which we will work on until curriculum celebration in May.

]]>Middle School Language Artshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/02/02/middle-school-language-arts-2/
Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:01:59 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13589In the month of January we continued with the writing workshop, some students choosing to pursue short fiction writing. We wrapped up reading our books about Cambodia before winter break, and wrote literary analysis in the form of letter essays about these books.

In February, we’ve started reading Nancy Farmer’s book, The House of the Scorpion. Throughout the novel, we will be talking about themes of equality, fair treatment, genetics, ethics, immigration, and many many others!

]]>Middle School Social Studieshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/01/30/middle-school-social-studies-12/
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 19:05:39 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13586We are on to our third unit of the year: homelessness. Students will be starting the unit by writing a narrative about and drawing a picture of a homeless person. An imaginary homeless person that, in theory, should symbolize a lot of their preconceived notions about homeless people. I am asking them to describe the age, race, gender, family situation, reasons for homelessness, etc. We will use all of their narratives to accumulate data about their characters and see if we can see common features. Perhaps stereotypes. Then we will compare some of that information to national data. The whole point of this exercise is to start a larger conversation about the who, what and why of homelessness. We hope to get some guest speakers to come in and eventually to do a field trip to the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor. This unit pairs nicely with a microeconomics unit coming up in a month or so. Also, look for a big homeless simulation sometime in February.
]]>Middle School Math – January 2018http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/01/18/middle-school-math-january-2018/
Thu, 18 Jan 2018 18:01:22 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13583Middle School Math Classes

COME SEE WHAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON AT THE CURRICULUM CELEBRATION (January 19th)…

> Do you remember learning about ratios and rates?Come see if you can solve the problems the FIRST HOUR math students have created (and solved two different ways)!

> SECOND HOUR math students continued their work with ratios into scale factors.They have created blue prints for their “Dream Room,” using actual measurements of the room and furniture they dream to put in it.

> When I was in school and learned about transformations (rigid motion: translation, reflection, and rotation), it was difficult to visualize it sometimes (especially rotations).Come see how THIRD HOUR math students learned them… with a transparency.They have created problems for you to solve.

> The ALGEBRA students have applied their knowledge of linear functions to create some pretty cool stained glass windows.You won’t be able to miss them as they will be hanging across the gym.

]]>Middle School Social Studieshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2018/01/09/middle-school-social-studies-11/
Tue, 09 Jan 2018 19:19:53 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13580As the semester wraps up we’re tying together all loose ends with our extensive unit on Cambodia. The culmination is a “Life Under the Khmer Rouge” project, as well as a student-led simulation at the curriculum celebration on January 19th. Please feel free to participate. All adults are welcome. Following this unit we will get into our next unit on homelessness in America. This will lead into our third unit on microeconomics and Trader Joe’s Big Bartering Bonanza.
]]>Middle School Language Arts- December 2017http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2017/12/08/13575/
Fri, 08 Dec 2017 15:41:01 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13575In the middle school, we’ve just wrapped up our second annual whole middle school participation in the National Novel Writing Month. As a middle school, we wrote more than a million words in one month! Students had word goals ranging from 10,000-50,000 words, and many students who set goals over 25,000 words and beat their goals!

For December, we have started reading books about Cambodia, tying in with the unit on Southeast Asia in Social Studies. These books are fast paced and engaging, and I love listening to the book group discussions students are having!

We are also studying the genre of poetry in our writing. Last month was about writing as much as we could, and this month is about being economical in word usage!

]]>Middle School Math – December 2017http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2017/12/04/middle-school-math-december-2017/
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 21:23:02 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13572November was like a whirlwind in the middle school, especially with the Terra Nova testing. We still managed to persevere in gaining knowledge and skills within each class.

In Course 1 we are finally completing the unit on Ratios and Rates. Because this concept is integral to higher level mathematics and sciences, as well as, everyday life, we worked on developing a deep understanding with multiple approached. This last half of the unit has consisted of unit rates and their various applications; such as, comparison shopping, speed and, measurement unit conversions to name a few. We have also related rates per 100 to percents and applied percents to a number of real-world situations. Before winter break we hope to begin working with fraction and decimal operations.

Course 2 has also spent quality time with Ratios, Rates, and Proportions, completing the unit in November. We are currently working on a Scale Drawing Project that you will be able to view at Curriculum Celebration. Our next unit will be working with becoming more familiar with integers and skilled with integer and other rational number operations.

Geometry has been the topic of study in Course 3, transformational geometry to be more specific. We have had fun using a transparency to investigation sequences of translations along a vector, rotations around a point, and reflection across a line. This is some of the students favorite unit. We will now use our investigations of rigid motion to understand congruence. And, before we leave this unit we will be learning about the Pythagorean Theorem.

In Algebra we are currently exploring linear functions; how to identify them through equations, as well as tables, identify the relationship between parallel lines and perpendicular lines, and various linear transformations. We will complete the unit with a project showing off their understanding of linear functions.

]]>Middle School Social Studieshttp://honeycreekschool.org/ms/2017/12/04/middle-school-social-studies-10/
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 18:50:11 +0000http://honeycreekschool.org/ms/?p=13569Oh how I missed teaching about Cambodia.
We’re now into the heart of the unit. It’s April 1975 and the Khmer Rouge have arrived in Phnom Penh. Civilians are being evacuated from the cities.
Students are going to go through a series of about six lessons, which cover the daily lives of Cambodian “new” people as they try to survive under the regime. We will be doing an on-going simulation that asks students to make decisions and I will be sharing first-hand accounts, cartoons, songs, and movie clips to help students understand what life was like under the regime. I have not presented the project to students yet, but they will have a variety of options as to which part of this history they would like to focus on. Look for that project, as well as a simulation for parents at the curriculum celebration in January.
]]>